2nd Earth 2: Emplacement (2 page)

Robin sees two small children standing just inside a doorway so she walks toward them talking softly to them. She gets within twenty feet of them, when a woman comes running out of the building across the street, and starts pleading with us not to hurt her babies. We try to assure her that we have no intentions of hurting anybody. We tell her and anyone else, who is within hearing range, that we are here to help them if they would like us to. The woman asks if we are from the south and we tell her no, actually we have a settlement to the north and are wondering if there are any others, like ourselves, who may want to join us. Two other women come out of the building across the street and walk over to us. They say that we are much cleaner and better dressed than the men who come from the south looking for people to take with them.

The group we are talking to has five women, two older men, and nine children. They tell us that some of the children’s parents have been taken by those men from the south. We ask if there are any other groups living around here and they tell us they have seen some others, but were too afraid to try to talk to them, or to even get close. The two children we saw turn out to be a young man and a young lady about nine years old. They were getting food to take back for their family. Robin and I leave Sara and Gary with this group and go looking for others. It doesn’t take long. They are living like the others, and are about as scared of everyone else as I have ever seen. Robin is able to win their trust and their story is the same as the other groups. They say they have only seen the one other group, but they have seen smoke coming from a section of the city a short distance away.

You would think it would be difficult to find so few people in a fairly good sized city, but as with all creatures, people need certain things to survive. Food is very high on that list, so even though these people are nomadic, like our groups were, they still have to follow the stores. Because once that source of food is gone, they will probably move to another city or starve, because they know nothing else. From the looks of the stores we are seeing, these people will not have food for more than another year. If it lasts that long, or they don’t get taken by these mysterious men from the south. Apparently some of them are able to hide when they come, because there are still people here.

We are checking the area for people when we see smoke rising a short distance away. We ask one of the others if they would come with us, because they will most likely hide if they see us coming. They do, but if we had wanted to get to them, we could have easily. Again there are mostly women and young children. They tell us that the men acted as bait to lead the men from the south off to protect them. The more I hear about these men from the south makes me really want to meet them. We were planning to go further south today, but finding these people makes us change our minds. It is getting late, so we decide to spend the night, and head back in the morning to get these people to safety with our groups. Don seems to have taken a liking to one of the older teenage girls in the groups we found today.

He is showing her how we hook up a gas stove to a propane tank and can cook food indoors that way. We go to the closest store and get more than enough canned goods for the group. We could probably have gotten back tonight, but we are kind of hoping the men from the south come looking in the morning. I am angry at what they are doing, but Sara and Gary are obsessed with catching them, and getting the people back that they have enslaved. At least that’s what it sounds like they are doing. Our new friends tell us that they sometimes come in the night, or early in the morning, so we take turns standing guard in two hour shifts.

2

I am the last one on guard duty, or should I say Robin and I are, because she gets up when I do and keeps me company watching the sun come up. We are snuggling to keep warm and talking quietly when we hear the sound of an engine coming toward our location. I am trying to place the direction of the sound when Sara and Gary are beside us, asking if we hear that. They are both carrying guns as are Don, Robin, and me. We determine where the truck is coming from and decide to set a trap for them. From the sounds of the engine, it is a small truck or van, and it has a hole in the exhaust system. Don comes out of the house accompanied by the young lady whose name is Olivia. She says that’s the men from the south, she would recognize that noise anywhere. That’s another reason they didn’t think we were them, because our vehicles don’t sound like that. She didn’t call it a vehicle; she just said the things we travel in. Sara tells me if that is too technical for me, she can break it down simpler for me.

Robin comes to my rescue though and tells her to quit picking on me. I can’t help it if I was given all brawn and very little brain. She tells her I make up for it in other ways though that she will not expand upon, because there are children present. I just keep my mouth shut, I have tried to defend myself and it always gets me picked on more. I am concentrating on defending us from the men from the south. We hear the sound over by the market we got supplies at last evening, and then we don’t hear it anymore. Obviously they have turned off the motor because we hear it backfire, probably because of the hole in the exhaust system. As if she can read my mind, Sara looks at me and says the timing is off, she could hear it missing on one cylinder. Gary agrees, but then the traitor always agrees with her, so that doesn’t prove a thing.

Olivia and her mother, whose name is Marge, is whispering that now the men will spread out, and look for people to capture. I decide to give them someone to take. I tell Sara to go out there and let them capture her, it would serve them right. I get smacked by Robin, Sara, Olivia, and her mother. Women have no sense of humor. I tell them I will let myself get captured to get close to them, and then the others can turn the tables on them. Marge says that it will not work. She says none of their men are as big or as muscular. They will never believe that I am one of them. Before I can say anything, Don takes off in the direction of the store. We follow at a distance, but we keep him in sight all the time. Olivia asks me to please make sure he doesn’t get hurt. I assure her that he is a very tough young man, but we will not let anything happen to our best hunter.

We are in a residential area of two story houses, much like any neighborhood. I kind of wish Tim was here, because I know that he has been trained in urban warfare. I’m not sure what training Gary has had along those lines. We go a couple of blocks and we can now hear distinct voices coming toward us. It sounds like they are arguing about having to get up so early and drive here. They are saying that there are probably not anymore people here anyway. A second voice says that he saw a blonde the last time they were here and he wants to find her. He says he will take his turn before they leave. The other voice says he will as well, because he is tired of the women they have back at the place. This is the worst kind of predator I can think of. They have absolutely no compassion for others, but corner them and they beg not to be hurt. These two are dying today if I have anything to say about it. I’m sure that’s Olivia they are talking about.

Don takes the gun out of his waistband when we hear their voices. Something tells me I will have to stand in line to kill these two. We all have our guns out. Sara has a 9mm that is a twin to the one I carry. I am just hoping to find out where these guys come from while they can still talk. We are about a short block away from the two voices when we hear another voice, yelling that he has a couple women trapped in a building. The voice is coming from our left so we all head that way. There must be some women in the city that we didn’t find yesterday. We go about a hundred yards, when the other voice yells that they went out the side. I am not expecting to have three teenage girls and an older woman come running straight at me not more than twenty yards away. They haven’t seen me yet and almost run into me before they do.

They are obviously frightened and come to a dead stop before they run me over. I put my hand to my mouth signaling for them to be quiet. They start to turn when they see Robin and Sara motioning for them to come to them. Then all heck breaks loose. The guys that are hunting the girls come running around the building. They are yelling, to scare the girls more, and telling them what they are going to do to them. The first one is only about three steps from me when he sees me. I cover that distance and tell him he will have to make other plans; the ladies dance cards are full. I take him square in the face with my forearm and elbow. He goes down like he was hit with an axe handle. The other three, there must have been two in that second group as well, stop short and raise their guns to fire. They never get the chance because the bullets from three guns end the argument before it really ever got started.

I tell the others to watch the only one left alive while I go see if there are any more. I don’t see anyone else, but I hear the vehicle start up and take off, headed out of town. I can see it just before it turns a corner, but I can’t get a shot off. I do see that it is what we used to call a panel truck, like the ones they used to use for deliveries, where we came from. I look around a little more, when I don’t find anyone I head back to where I left the others. The guy I knocked out is now awake and is obviously scared. He can see the bodies of the guys he came here with. The people we met yesterday are coming to where we are, they heard the gunshots, but weren’t sure who won, until they heard the truck heading out of town as fast as it could. When they see the one we captured just about all of them want to hit him, and several ask if they could please shoot him, if we will show them how to use a gun.

At least this guy isn’t like the criminals where I come from. If he was, he would be yelling excessive force, and demanding to speak with his attorney. In this world, he knows he is very close to joining his friends. I ask him where his friends are. He says that he will tell me if I will promise to let him go. I call a meeting of our group and we step off to the side. I tell them I don’t like letting this guy go, but it sure would help if we could find out where those guys are. They are already warned that we could be coming after them, but that won’t be until we come back, so they may relax by then. We decide to trust him, even if the others don’t think we should. Gary asks him where his friends are and what they do with the people they take. He says that they use the people they take to do the work. The women work and are used by the people in charge for pleasure. If they are pretty enough they don’t have to work as hard.

This guy is making me sicker by the moment. I am watching his face when Gary asks him where they are located. He starts talking in circles, about how you go down this road then go down another. I see his eyes look toward the roof across the street and a faint smile crosses his face. I take about ten steps to the right, where I am under an overhang, and look up at the building across the street. I see nothing, and then just as I think it was my imagination, I see a face appear over the edge. Then a rifle barrel is being thrust over pointing at the people on the ground. It’s a fairly long shot for a hand gun, but that’s all I have. At least I can give him something to think about. I fire at the head, and hear the rifle bark death for the guy we were questioning. My second shot must hit the shooter because he stands erect then falls over the edge into the street below. There is no way to know if he was trying to kill the other one, or if that happened as an accident. Neither of them are talking so we will just have to find where they take the people.

We gather up everyone that is going back with us and decide to take a sweep of the city just to make sure. It’s a good thing we do, because we find another small group that has three young women, two children, and a man that looks like he is in his forties. We get back to the farm at about four in the afternoon. They are expecting us because we called on the CB when we were about five miles away. The leaders of the other groups are here to meet the new people and to discuss where they should live, at least for now. Later they may have a preference once they get to know everybody. Olivia asks if she can stay here if that is where Don lives. There is room in the house he lives in for her and her mom, but we are all betting that her mom loses her roommate very soon.

Doc McEvoys group takes one of the groups and Barbs group takes the rest. Her group is the smallest and can really use the few men that came back with us. All the people that came back with us are amazed at the way we live. That’s not too surprising because we are sometimes amazed at how lucky and blessed we have been. We explained to them before we even came back what will be expected of them if they are going to live with our groups. It’s not much really, all we expect is that everyone does their share of the work. We also realize that the people we find have never lived like we do, so it will take them time to learn the different chores we all do. Heck I’m still learning some of the chores that I don’t do often or have never done before.

We hold a family council to determine what we should do about the men from the south. Everyone agrees that we should at least try to find them, and free anybody that is being held against their will. We also agree that we should begin cleaning up another farm that is a mile from Barbs family. It is a nice place with four or five houses and some sturdy looking barns. The new people are excited to get started helping with the cleaning and rebuilding. We also decide that we need fighting men along on the next trip we take looking for the others. We also know we can’t leave the group without protection while we are gone as well. The gentleman who was with the last group we found in the city volunteers to come along. Oh yes, his name is Ray and although he hasn’t had a lot of experience, he is more than willing, so we will use him. Sara and Gary both want to go again. Robin decides to stay home because she missed the children too badly. Ray’s wife Carol says she will go because she knows at least some of those who have been taken, and with her along they may not be so frightened of us. Dan, who is Don’s brother, decides to come along because Don says he has to make sure Olivia learns her chores properly.

We have an excellent meal and play some music for our new friends. Only a few of them even remember electric lights and eating fresh meat and bread. Tonight for the first time some of them will sleep in a warm bed in a heated home. When they are about to leave to go to their respective homes, Marla, the mother of the children that Robin and I saw first, tells us all how thankful she is that we have brought them here to live. She says that she learned to pray when she was a little girl and she has been praying with all her might for the past few weeks because she was out of options that were under her control. She also asks us if we all lived like they did, how did we ever know to come here, and how have we accomplished so much? We smile and tell her we will explain all that later. Now let’s get a good night’s rest so we can go after their family and friends tomorrow.

When they leave and we get ready for bed, I get to play with the children for a while, which me and they missed very much. Teddy says he thinks he should be able to go with us because he is almost a man. At twelve he is doing very well with his fighting lessons and can shoot quite well also. I tell him I could really use him on this trip, but I have a dilemma, if both of the men in the family leave, who will take care of the women and children? He thinks for a minute and tells me he will stay home, but those girls better start listening when he tells them something. His sisters Kathy and Karen stick their tongues out at him. Tina and Tammy who are stepsisters tell him that they will do what he says, if mommy says they should. I tell him that if the girls are doing something they shouldn’t, or that is dangerous, to tell the moms and they will make sure they don’t do it again.

Teddy says he can do that, but he thinks the girls should listen to him the way they do me. Robin and Dayna who are sitting on either side of me whisper, “Since when,” so that only I can hear them. Melissa, who is holding Tina, smiles and says, “Yeah right.” Don’t get the wrong idea about our relationship. If there is an issue of safety, or something important, I have the last word, because that is what I know best. When it comes to raising the children, I bow to the women of the house. Oh, by the way, Dayna asked me if I explained our situation to you. I kind of forgot that you may not know us very well yet. I am married to all three of the women I live with and all the children call me daddy, even though little Timmy is my only biological child. It was the girl’s idea, not mine, but I am not complaining either. We started plural marriage because there are so many more women than men in our groups.

So far it is working well, I love Dayna, Robin, and Melissa and I am very proud that the children think of me as their father. Morning comes much too quickly, as it has a tendency to do. This time we are taking more fire power along in case we need it. Roy who is a member of Ryan’s family decided to come along. We are glad of that because he has proven to be a very good shot with any weapon and he is his group’s best hunter. Dan is bringing along a couple of bows with enough arrows to fight a war with. He is as good with his bow as Roy is with the guns. We are taking two vans and the pickup truck. We saw a couple of dealerships in the city that had some very nice stake body trucks in the lot. There were also two propane trucks and a gasoline tanker in that city. We will have to take a look at getting those, when we have accomplished getting those people freed.